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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August
27, 2002
STATEMENT OF STATE SUPERINTEDENT
ROBERT E. SCHILLER
REGARDING RECOMMENDATIONS OF EDUCATION FUNDING ADVISORY BOARD
Local school districts are facing severe financial challenges
throughout Illinois as the cost of providing a quality education
is rising in all categories – from salaries and benefits
to transportation and maintenance of facilities.
I believe there is general agreement – even in these
generally difficult fiscal times -- that public education
in Illinois needs more money and that the state should provide
a greater proportional share of school funding than it does
currently.
The members of the Education Funding Advisory Board are to
be commended and thanked for the careful job they have done
of outlining avenues by which we can reach those goals.
The issues raised by EFAB come around for serious discussion
every few years in our state, and they are certain to cause
much public debate. In large part, that is the purpose of
the work EFAB has done. EFAB’s suggested combination
of property tax relief and state revenue increases would assure
that the state will provide the majority of funding for elementary
and secondary education. Its recommendations in the area of
school district consolidation surely will bring about much
discussion.
It is now up to all of us in the education community –
and all Illinois taxpayers -- to evaluate carefully EFAB’s
revenue-generating suggestions and comment on them. That is
what the State Board of Education will do in the coming weeks.
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